March 5 Reading: Deuteronomy 17-20 Commentary
Below is our Deuteronomy 17-20 commentary from our Beginning to End Bible reading program. You can find an email link at the end of this page to share your thoughts or comments with us.
Key Verse(s):
“I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.” (Deut. 18:18)
“And he shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel: Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them; for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.'” (Deut. 20:3-4)
Deuteronomy 17 – Punishing Wickedness
Israel needed a system to administer justice. God instructed Moses to appoint judges and officers for each city. They sat at the city entrance (“in all your gates”) and judged the matters people brought (Deut. 16:18).
They were to do so wisely and justly:
“You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. You shall follow what is altogether just…” (Deut. 16:19-20).
God promised they would inherit and live in the land if they judged properly (Deut. 16:20).
There may have come an instance when they found someone “who has been wicked in the sight of the Lord…in transgressing His covenant, who has gone and served other gods and worshiped them…” (Deut. 17:2-3). In that case, they were to “inquire diligently” to see “if it is indeed true and certain…” (v. 4). If they found it to be true, the person was brought to the city gate and stoned to death.
However, more than one person (witness) had to attest to the accusation being true: “Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness” (v. 6).
Additionally, “…the hands of the witnesses shall be the first against him to put him to death…” (v. 7). In other words, the accusers were the first ones to cast stones. If that sounds familiar, it mirrors what Jesus said in John 8:1-11 when the teachers of the law brought a woman in adultery and wanted her stoned. Jesus told them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”
A King?
One of the unique character qualities of God is that he is omniscient. That means he is all-knowing. He is fully aware of how the future will unfold.
So it must have been a little shocking for the people to learn in Deut. 17:14 that one day they would ask for an earthly king to rule over them. Up until this point they had only been serving God as their king. In Biblical terminology, we would call that a theocracy, meaning government rule by God.
But instead of serving God as king, eventually they would ask for an earthly king to rule over them like all the other nation. They would move from a theocracy to a monarchy. All this occurs in I Samuel 9.
God warns them what rule by a king will look like Additionally, he sets down some standards for the future kings so that they would always serve and fear the Lord. The king:
1. Had to be a Israelite (no foreign leaders) (v. 15).
2. Could not multiply horses for himself (v. 16).
3. Was not allowed to lead the people back to Egypt (v. 16).
4. Only could take one wife (v. 17) “lest is heart turn away”.
5. Could not accumulate gold or silver for himself (v. 17).
6. Was required to write himself a copy of the law and read it (vv. 18-19).
7. Needed to observe all the words of the law (v. 19).
If the king did all these things, he would prolong his days on the throne (v. 20).
Deuteronomy 18 – Another Moses
The inhabitants of Canaan were really wicked. God warned against following their religious practices, calling them “abominations” (v. 9). And He sighted examples so the people would know exactly what to avoid.
Starting in Deut. 18:10 God says, “There shall not be found among you…”
1. “…Anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire…” (child sacrifice)
2. “…one who practices witchcraft or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer…”
3. “…or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.” (v. 11)
Again, this was a way Israel distinguished themselves from the other nations. What others deemed common religious practice, was hands-off for Israel. They were to live blameless before God (v. 14) and consider him as the only source of revelation in their lives.
Another Moses?
Moses knew God in a unique way. There would never be another prophet like Moses.
But Moses hinted that one day God would “raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren” (v. 15). God corroborates Moses’ assertion in verse 17:
“And the Lord said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good. I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.'” (Deut. 20:3-4)
So who is this person? Some believe it to be a generic reference to future prophets that would come and speak the words of God. Others see it referring to Joshua as the next leader of Israel.
In the end, Jesus would be the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy. He would speak the words of his Father in heaven. And those who did not listen would be held accountable for their unbelief.
For Further Reading: Who Is the Prophet Like Moses?
Deuteronomy 19 – Cities of Refuge
Deut. 19 repeats the command to set up six cities of refuge in the nation. This is discussed in detail in Numbers 35:9-28 (see also Num. 35 Commentary). These cities provided refuge for a person if they unintentionally killed someone (vv. 3-7). They did not allow a place of refuge for someone who purposely and willfully killed someone. In that case, they handed over the individual to be executed (vv. 11-13).
There were to be three cities on the west side of the Jordan River (v. 2) and three to the west. God also allowed them to set up three more cities if their territory expanded (v. 9).
Additionally, this chapter discusses the law of witnesses. It is reiterated that “by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established” (v. 15). This was a provision against a false witness rising up and accusing a person of wrongdoing (v. 16).
Deuteronomy 20 – Military Standards
Israel was going to fight many battles to gain control of the land. Some of these battles would be against very large cities and very large armies. But they had one thing the other armies did not have – a God fighting for them.
So, they needed to remember this each and every time they took sword in hand. Time and time again God would remind them that he fought for them. Moses covers that at the beginning of Deut. 20 by saying:
“When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. So it shall be, when you are on the verge of battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people. And he shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel: Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.'” (vv. 1-4)
Battle Stipulations
Beyond this critical element, God laid in palace some standards for battle. First off, they included provisions for men not to go to war. A man could return home if they:
1. Had built a new house and not dedicated it (v. 5)
2. Grew a vineyard they had not eaten of yet (v. 6)
3. Were betrothed to be married (v. 7)
4. If they were afraid (“fainthearted”)(v. 8)
Additionally, God required Israel to offer peace to any city it came to before engaging in battle. If the people accepted the peace offer, no battle was fought. If they refused, Israel could wage war against them and plunder the city of their goods (vv. 10-15).
But some cities they were to destroy no matter what so that the people would not entice them to sin. Those people groups included the Hittite, Amorite, Canaanite, Perizzite, Hivite and Jebusite (vv. 16-18).
Questions to Consider:
Have you ever been falsely blamed for something by the testimony of just one witness? How did that make you feel?
God knows everything. He even knew that in a couple hundred years after Moses’ death, Israel would ask for a king. He warns them about what it will be like in Deut. 17:14-20. Likewise, he also knows our future. How does God’s all-knowing nature comfort you in regards to your future?
“Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.” (Deut. 1:4) What does this verse mean in your own life?
What other points would you want to know about in our Deuteronomy 17-20 commentary? Email us here with questions or comments.